There has just been big Mii Plaza update on the 3DS.

The biggest change that I can see is that now there is the option to buy 4 additional games.

I've only taken a look at one and if it is indicative of the others, they are pretty pricey at £4.49 each.

There is also an icon for an 'Exchange Booth', but it does nothing on my system.

It seems a bit of a strange move, both in creating new games and changing for games that are dependant upon hits to function given that Nintendo have acknowledged that many people in the west rarely get Streetpass hits in comparison to Japan.

I get it, and the hours of actual, legitimate enjoyment I've gotten out of that beyond stupid metagame might make spending the extra coin worth it (to be fair, I also get at least one unique StreetPass a day so I'm in the minority in the West I suppose), but I really don't know how I feel about them making you pay up to $5 for this stuff.

Oh, so that's what that update was! I forgot to do it yesterday since it popped up when I was in a car. Looks vaguely interesting, I'm gonna have to check it out tonight. I'm kinda curious what this exchange booth does.

@nezza: Well, Nintendo indicated at E3 that they were going to be changing Streetpass to improve things for the West, allowing for wireless hotspots to temporarily store Streetpass information and share it with those who come to those hotspots. Which allows people to not have to come into close contact, just be near the same place within a period of time. That should theoretically increase the commonality of Streetpassing, and it would certainly give them incentive to sell more possible games related to it.

Though, hopefully they'll explain these games a bit so that we have some idea of what we're buying into.

I managed to navigate the Japanese E Shop enough to pick the new mini-games up. I can say they are at least mostly actual games. With Streetpass Squad being the gamiest. I will also admit that being actual games in a language I don't understand means I could (am) be missing a ton.

• Squad - Yep, it's a Shmup, you use the shoulder buttons to aim your weapon, A to shoot, and the analog stick to move around. You kill enemies and collect the gems they drop. I think you get rewards if you reach a goal in each stage.
• Garden - I think I understand this the least. But it involves growing seeds, and having them watered by your Streetpass visitors. You can then place grown plants on display racks.
• Battle - It's a large battle "strategy" game. You can choose your setting, from Feudal Japan, Feudal Europe, or Sci-Fi. I don't think your choice affects the game (it might affect rewards). It plays out as a 3 round roshambo. If you streetpass, the Mii brings some number of troops. My Level 7 brought me 37 dudes, which is much less than the battles involve. When you fight, you see what troops the enemy has, then you choose how to divide your forces between the 3 options (spear, horse, archer). After seeing what I fields, you pick the best counter. The trick being you can't field the same units twice. So if he has all horse, you can't make 3 groups of spearmen. It seems pretty neat, and I imagine the enemy compositions get more complicated as it progresses.
• Mansion - Miis give you tetris-like pieces you use to reveal corridors in a haunted mansion. Depending on how you place them, you could reveal a chest with items, or a ghost you have to fight, which seems to be some simple, but still interactive, shooting. You have a gun with batteries, that I think you have to manage the charge on.

I think the (a) way you earn stuff in this is by tickets you get for performing well in the game. Then you go to the ticket tab and see what you can get. Like a 1Up mushroom hat.

Hopefully they release these in North America soon. Or at least before PAX.

@youngfrey: Battle actually sounds really interesting to me. But I just don't know if I'd ever actually get any use out of it unless it has a mode that is playable without actually having streetpass hits.

My next door neighbour has a kid who has a 3DS and that is the only streetpass I've ever had apart from the promotional 'special Mii's' during E3 (and the the little git hasn't had a new puzzle piece in months!). Where I live, I'd literally have to get on a plane before I'd see a Nintendo zone. It is great to hear they are doing something that will make significant improvements to try and get more hits for people outside of Japan, but it is still going to be quite limiting for people in rural areas. If you live in an area with lots of Nintendo zones, or a decent amount of other players I can easily see why additional games would be of interest, even if the price does seem steep for a 'social' title.

That aside the biggest thing that would ever stop me buying these is the total lack of info from Nintendo themselves. No screenshots, no real description regarding functionality, no confirmation whether the game is playable without getting hits, and last but not least no indication whether the person that you've exchanged hits with needs to have the game as well. In fact your reply is the most informative thing I've seen about them.

@nezza:

All the games have options to buy something with Play Coins. I'm saving mine for The-Dark-Lord-In-Less-Than-21-Miis challenge, so I have yet to spend any. But they probably let you buy progress or encounters with previous Miis. I find it's really easy to get those 10 per day just keeping it in my pocket. And that is enough to buy a max level Mii per day in Find Mii.

The people you pass with do not have to have the games. I did mine with against a US 3DS, which of course does not have them. Doesn't even have the new plaza.

None of these games are amazing games. If you don't have regular 3DS encounters, or go to conventions, I'd say there are way better uses for your cash.

@marino: They better put this out before PAX, because otherwise nobody will be able to see all the sweet hats my Japanese Mii has obtained before then. In 2012 I only had the Japanese 3ds, so I had no idea what I was doing in Find Mii. Now I'm well educated and the hats I have to show off are choice.

I've muddled my way to some more data. I think the biggest thing I learned is how many times your've met a Mii doesn't seem to have an effect in any of the games. I don't know if all (except the free one you get for buying each) of the new rewards are had via tickets, but the ticket rewards themselves rotate every few (I think 4) days. So that means if you miss the one you want, you have to wait 4 weeks to see it again.

• Squad - Each color Mii adds a different weapon to your ship. The type varies with Mii color: green has a bounce, red a yo-yo blade, light blue a wide shot. You choose where it gets mounted on the ship. The ship can hold multiples. So having multiples at once confers a big advantage.
• Garden - I have not learned here, there is cross-breeding at least.
• Battle - After winning battles, you can choose to convert some of your troops into workers and expand your castle. This gets you things like advice from your advisor.
• Mansion - The color pieces you get are based on the color of the Mii streetpasssed with. Placing same color pieces next each other expands the room, different colors creates a door to a corridor where you risk having to fight a ghost. The vast majority of my Streetpasses are from my 2nd 3DS so this game is pretty easy so far. Just making 1 giant room full of loot. But the 2nd floor (of 20) came with 2 pieces already in place, so I'm guessing there will be even more of that later on.

Hmmm, so it's all colour-based? I guess that's a relief, as Find Mii/Streetpass Quest gets frustrating after a while when I only have like 2 repeat people that I keep running into, meaning everyone else is just an endless stream of level 1 dudes.

I still really wish there were some sort of new trading aspect like in Puzzle Swap. Exchanging info with other gamers through Streetpass (like in Fire Emblem: Awakening, and I think Street Fighter 4) is the coolest part of the deal.

There is one level based effect I know of. In Mansion, a higher level Mii gives you more puzzle piece options.

Battle uses a stat no other game uses (to my knowledge), plaza population. Each Mii gives you troops equal to their plaza population. I predict this will be ultra broken (in the good way) at PAX. You could easily get 2000 troops added in 1 wave. For example, my 3DS that hasn't gone to PAX but that I take most everywhere has 38. My 3DS that went to 1 PAX has ~750.

In fact, most of these games will be even more trivialized than Find Mii is. And I cannot wait.